Cars from Dale Earnhardt Jr., Rusty Wallace among those set for auction

If you’re a collector-car nut, the Valley of the Sun is the place to be in January, because there are half a dozen major auctions in Scottsdale and Phoenix, plus the Arizona Concours d’Elegance, which has grown into a huge deal.

Here are five NASCAR-related cars set to hit the auction-block later this month.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird

At the height of NASCAR’s aero wars in 1969-70, Chrysler introduced first the Dodge Daytona and then the Plymouth Superbird, two slope-nosed, high-winged cars designed to dominate at fast tracks.

This one is a Superbird, being sold by RM/Sotheby’s. “The specific objective of the Superbird was to lure Richard Petty back to Plymouth. Petty had left for Ford in the fall of 1968, but he succumbed to the Superbird’s charms in 1970, winning eight races and finishing well in many more,” the catalog description reads.

1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

Set to be auctioned off by Russo and Steele, this Brickyard 400 pace car carries a description that is, well, interesting.

“…Very rare, highly equipped, and graced with the 1995 NASCAR championship winning duo of Jeff Gordon and Richard Childress, this 1995 Monte Carlo Z34 marks a thrilling find at auction.” Uh, anyone want to tell the auction company that Gordon drove for Rick Hendrick and not Richard Childress?

1995 Ford Thunderbird

This is pretty cool — the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Collector-Car auction will sell this T-Bird that Rick Mast drove to an eighth-place finish in the 1995 Brickyard 400.

Richard Jackson was the owner of this car, which is described in the catalog as an “old racer has a few dings and scratches showing character. It's powered by a Ford 358ci racing engine and still retains the full NASCAR equipment of its day.”

1978 Corvette Custom

NASCAR Hall of Fame member Rusty Wallace has attended many Barrett-Jackson auctions over the years, and this year he’s selling this beautiful high-performance custom Corvette.

“It has previously been featured in the Hot Rod Power Tour, where it was driven by Rusty at several tour stops throughout the United States,” reads the catalog description. “RK Motors in Charlotte, NC, completed the restoration on what was a one-owner car.

At the heart of this classic American muscle car is a beautiful 450hp Chevrolet ZZ383, custom assembled and dyno-tested by world-famous engine builder Doug Yates.” RK Motors, by the way, is owned by former Michael Waltrip Racing owner Rob Kauffman.

2014 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS

Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No, 88-857 in six short-track races in 2014-15, with a best finish of second at Phoenix in February 2014.

It is being sold at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale, with 100 percent of the hammer price going to benefit the Nationwide Children’s Hospital. This is a chance to get a real Hendrick Motorsports race car and help a worthy cause in the process.